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When the Jaguars finished the first half of the season 0-8 and had the third-worst point differential in NFL history (minus-178), the one consolation was they jumped from playing the league’s toughest schedule to one of the easiest (combined record of last eight opponents was 49-79) in the final two months. Facing mostly NFL lightweights paid off with a 4-4 finish.

It also resulted in a slightly improved report card from the Jaguars’ mid-term evaluation, which was littered with failing grades and dreadful numbers. But let’s not misjudge the progress, which was more incremental than monumental.

The fact remains the Jaguars set a franchise record for most points allowed (449), and their 247 points scored was easily last in the NFL and second-fewest in team history to 243 in 2011. While the Jaguars statistically improved in most facets during the second half, especially coaching, it wasn’t enough to pull most of their final grades up to a respectable level:

RUN OFFENSE

F For the second consecutive year, the Jaguars set a single-season franchise record for fewest rushing yards (1,260, 78.8 yards per game).

You know things have diminished in this department when Maurice Jones-Drew, one of the best players to ever wear a Jaguars uniform, is being allowed to test free agency before general manager Dave Caldwell decides whether to re-sign him at the market price.

Jones-Drew, who turns 29 in March, never got untracked except for two late-season games against the 2-14 Houston Texans, where he rushed a combined 28 times for 187 yards. Otherwise, he looked like a shadow of the back that led all NFL rushers with 1,606 yards in 2011.

Incredibly, the Jaguars ran for 100 yards as a team only four times in 2013. It certainly didn’t help that the offensive line went through five different starting combinations, though center Brad Meester and right guard Uche Nwaneri played every snap. Luke Joeckel should be healthy by next season, general manager Dave Caldwell must get line reinforcements in free agency or the draft.

PASS OFFENSE

D+ On the bright side, Chad Henne became the Jaguars’ first 3,000-yard passer since David Garrard in 2009. The flip side is that the passing game, ranked 22nd in the league, needs another makeover.

With no guarantee that receiver Justin Blackmon will suit up again when he completes his NFL suspension, and Cecil Shorts (66 catches, 777 yards) going on injured reserve with a groin injury, the aerial attack remains in con-stant flux.

Henne was a serviceable quarterback once he replaced Blaine Gabbert, but lacks consistency. He tended to put up his best numbers once opponents built big leads. Jaguars quarterbacks threw 14 TD passes and 21 interceptions, the worst ratio in team history.

The Jaguars matched last year’s total of 50 sacks allowed, the first time that happened in back-to-back seasons since 2000-01. This grade would likely be higher had Blackmon and Shorts been able to play together more than four games.

Still, without a true franchise quarterback, the Jaguars aren’t going to be a lethal passing team any time soon.

RUN DEFENSE

D This facet of the team showed respectable improvement in the second half, partly because they started out so bad at stopping the run. The Jaguars went from giving up 161.8 yards per game to 102.8 in the second half, and 4.8 yards per attempt to 3.4.

Opponents ran for 150-plus yards in seven games, an excessive number by any measuring stick. The Jaguars came along after the bye week by having a better understanding of their assignments. Rookie safety Johnathan Cyprien and outside linebacker Geno Hayes, in particular, elevated their play.

While that’s encouraging, the Jaguars were still 29th against the run and had trouble getting stops when opponents were in clock-killing mode. They need to get faster at outside linebacker and could use more penetration from defensive linemen besides Sen’Derrick Marks.

Stopping the run isn’t an absolute must for NFL success. But when the top five run defenses are all in the playoffs, it suggests the Jaguars better tighten up in this area.

PASS DEFENSE

C- The Jaguars did a better job of pressuring the quarterback in the second half, which translated into their interception count nearly tripling from a measly three picks in the first eight games. The team’s 31 sacks tied for lowest in the NFL, but was a significant improvement from 20 in 2012.

One encouraging sign was second-year defensive end Andre Branch, who struggled mightily as a rookie, became a more disruptive force with five sacks in the last eight games. A young secondary finally started to get their hands on more passes, but the team was still tied for 25th in yards allowed.

If the Jaguars allow sack leader Jason Babin (7.5 sacks) to leave as a free agent, it’s only going to ratchet up the need for a proven pass-rusher. The Jaguars haven’t had a double-digit sack guy since Bobby McCray in 2006.

Until they make life more miserable for opposing quarterbacks, being a playoff contender will remain elusive.

SPECIAL TEAMS

B With the exception of a listless punt return unit, which was last in the NFL with a 4.7-yard average, Mike Mallory’s unit has done its part to keep the Jaguars plenty competitive.

The Jaguars finished in the league’s top-five in kickoff returns (25.9 yards), kickoff coverage (20.4 yards) and punt coverage (7.0 yards). All were improvements of at least five yards from 2012. Jordan Todman finished seventh in the NFL with a 27.4-yard kick return average.

When you combine those numbers with punter Bryan Anger having the league’s seventh-best net average (40.5 yards), it gave the Jaguars a chance to win the field position battle.

Kicker Josh Scobee connected on 23 of 25 field goals, with his only misses coming on a 60-yard attempt and having a 47-yarder blocked. He continued his three-year trend of converting over 90 percent of his kicks.

COACHING

C- This area was a huge jump from the season’s first half when the Jaguars lost every game by double digits. The reason went beyond a kinder schedule. Players started getting more comfortable with the system of Gus Bradley, which made the play-calling by coordinators Jedd Fisch and Bob Babich look a lot better.

While the Jaguars were significantly below average as a team, they also had a ton of roster upheaval in the initial phase of general manager Dave Caldwell’s rebuilding. Not having Blackmon for 12 games, then losing Shorts near season’s end, also handicapped the offense.

Under the circumstances, Bradley’s staff eventually got decent mileage from a talent-challenged roster. They deserve some credit for salvaging a season that was once trending toward a historical low.

The kooks are back madkow......sclark you take the cake for the most moronic, made up friend of a friend, conspiracy theory post.... ever.....which hot dog stand at the stadium does he manage? This reaches new levels of stupidity. .....and a big accomplishment with snake back on here. Congats.

@ MADcow You quit posting because of your weak belly. When confronted with fact, you couldn't swallow your pride... much less admit your points were unestablished and proven WRONG, over and over again!
@ Davethecaveman If being a beat writer for the Jags means serving up a tonic, to the masses, at UNREASONABLE prices, I liken that to a certain carpetbagger. When confronted he admitted he didn't know what was in his "goods" so the olde Indian Chief told him to drink it!!!
By the way hope is a good thing, yet, more practical is honesty and seeing the Jags for what they are and where they are heading. It only took a preseason game ( 1st half) to see the Gators were going to be in the Final game (NCAA BB), because I had decades of watching basketball. Not unlike football, the talent of a team, coupled with proper coaching, can propel them from the cellar to the elite. It has to be consistant and one must be corrected when wrong, or at least LEARN!!!

I knew there was a reason I quit posting on this site. This site is full of kooks and conspiracy theorist. A good off season and this team will be competitive next year and playing for division the following year. Caldwell is building a team through the draft that will compete for several years. He has signed free agents, young free agents that will be here long term.

You may be on to something. A very good friend works out with a guy who's been with the Jags in a management capacity for ages. He says that Khan is not being honest with us. Khan has no interest in football or Jags but bought us for his son, Tony because Tony wanted an NFL team in L.A. He got turned down for LA so picked up the Jags with the intent to move them ASAP. Tony is the one who pushed Blame on us and is still doing that to this day. That's why Caldwell said good things about him at the end of the year - he was told to do that. Tony still wants to destroy the team but he wants to do so on the down-low by making us so bad no one will come. In fact, I was told Tony is furious that Henne started most of the year. Tony nor his dad live here and have said they never will. Tony is the reason they didn't bring in more FA's and the reason they won't spend cap money this year either. How is the league letting this happen, thought team's had to spend the cap - why are Jags given a variance? That's the part that is really strange to me. Spending 6 million on the facilities, not strange, he'll get that back. Not spending 40million on players, that's what tells me something and the fact that they aren't going to spend $$ again, well that seems pretty compelling. The BS about bad team, no talent. Well, they could have had more talent, could have brought in Alex Smith and a host of others - but they don't want talent. Can you imagine a worse scenario than taking Johnny Football, he gets hurt and is out for the year and Gabbert starts?

Basically, if Gabbert stays and Henne doesn't, and very few good FA's - that will confirm to me what my friend was told.

You may be on to something. A very good friend works out with a guy who's been with the Jags in a management capacity for ages. He says that Khan is not being honest with us. Khan has no interest in football or Jags but bought us for his son, Tony because Tony wanted an NFL team in L.A. He got turned down for LA so picked up the Jags with the intent to move them ASAP. Tony is the one who pushed Blame on us and is still doing that to this day. That's why Caldwell said good things about him at the end of the year - he was told to do that. Tony still wants to destroy the team but he wants to do so on the down-low by making us so bad no one will come. In fact, I was told Tony is furious that Henne started most of the year. Tony nor his dad live here and have said they never will. Tony is the reason they didn't bring in more FA's and the reason they won't spend cap money this year either. How is the league letting this happen, thought team's had to spend the cap - why are Jags given a variance? That's the part that is really strange to me. Spending 6 million on the facilities, not strange, he'll get that back. Not spending 40million on players, that's what tells me something and the fact that they aren't going to spend $$ again, well that seems pretty compelling. The BS about bad team, no talent. Well, they could have had more talent, could have brought in Alex Smith and a host of others - but they don't want talent. Can you imagine a worse scenario than taking Johnny Football, he gets hurt and is out for the year and Gabbert starts?

Basically, if Gabbert stays and Henne doesn't, and very few good FA's - that will confirm to me what my friend was told.